Human Rights Watch Warns of Growing Restrictions on Civil Society in Tunisia
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\nHuman Rights Watch has warned in a new report of increasing government pressure on civil society organizations and human rights defenders in Tunisia, citing arrests, prosecutions, financial investigations, and the suspension of associations\u2019 activities as tools used to restrict independent civic work.<\/p>\n
The organization said Tunisia has experienced a significant democratic decline since July 2021, with greater concentration of power in the presidency, a weakened parliament, and reduced judicial independence. According to the report, pressure on civil society organizations has intensified notably since 2024.<\/p>\n
The report stated that Tunisian authorities have prosecuted at least 47 people linked to non-governmental organizations, with at least 14 individuals convicted and sentenced to prison. Human Rights Watch also highlighted cases where pretrial detention lasted more than 14 months, arguing that such measures have been used as a means of pressuring critics before final court decisions.<\/p>\n
The organization added that the restrictions have affected not only human rights activists but also groups providing services to refugees and migrants, with some cases involving laws related to foreigners, terrorism, and money laundering.<\/p>\n
According to Human Rights Watch, authorities launched investigations into at least 12 associations, while 20 organizations had their activities suspended during 2025 and 2026. The report also pointed to restrictions on other groups, including preventing some organizations from monitoring elections or visiting prisons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Human Rights Watch Warns of Growing Restrictions on Civil Society in Tunisia ——————————————- Human Rights Watch has warned in a new report of increasing government pressure on civil society organizations and human rights defenders in Tunisia, citing arrests, prosecutions, financial investigations, and the suspension of associations\u2019 activities as tools used to restrict independent civic work. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":145279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_108372464460192_245495985553329":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[13837],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-145280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-human-rights"],"yoast_head":"\n